Cheryl Kuppler, Kuppler & Associates
Earning credentials as an accountant or lawyer is difficult enough, but Cheryl Kuppler is both. In addition, she heads her own firm, Kuppler & Associates, where she uses her 20 years of experience as a tax attorney to consult with Peoria businesses.
She grew up on a farm near Galesburg, where agriculture was a family tradition. Her grandfather, however, helped Kuppler see the possibilities outside of farm life. "He was a great man, instrumental in building two schools. He always wanted to be a lawyer, and he really encouraged me to pursue law school," she said.
Kuppler graduated with highest honors from Warren High School and then North Central College in Naperville.
At North Central she worked as an accountant while pursuing accounting and political science degrees, and discovered she enjoyed dealing with the business and tax topics.
Once she determined accounting would be her profession, she set her sights on working at Ernst & Young Chicago in the tax department, where employees had to have either a masters degree in taxation or a law degree.
To meet that requirement, Kuppler attended Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago Kent College of Law. "IIT is very well known for its engineering and architecture programs, which are some of the best in the country. Chicago Kent is an old law school, based in the Chicago Loop. We knew (my husband) Karl, who was two years ahead of me, was going to take a job with a law firm in Chicago, so I went to Kent," she said.
The couple made their way back to central Illinois when Kuppler was expecting their second daughter, and the hour-long commute into Chicago from the suburbs became too difficult. "Karl was contacted about a job with a law firm in Peoria. After a couple of trips to Peoria, we decided a move back downstate was right for us. I intended to stay home, have my baby, and spend some time with the girls before returning to the workforce. However, someone found out I had been at Ernst & Young, and before I knew it, I was doing tax returns."
Kuppler worked for an accounting firm and in the tax department of a local company before striking out on her own, a decision she hasn’t regretted for one instant.
She employs another CPA, and during tax season takes on at least five extra people to help with the work load. In addition to being her own boss, Kuppler said she enjoys her job for a number of reasons. "It’s gratifying when a new business starts up, survives, and then thrives. It’s exciting and fun to be part of it. If you can help business owners legally save taxes or not make mistakes that others have made, you feel like you’ve done a good job."
Her field’s constantly-changing nature also keeps her hooked. "There are always new twists and turns in the tax law. Anymore, there’s a new tax bill proposed on a yearly basis," Kuppler said.
But the most rewarding part of her job? "Successfully surviving an IRS audit," she reported.
Because she has worked with so many companies over the past two decades, she’s observed a lot of successful and not-so-successful business moves.
Kuppler’s best advice is to go high-tech. "Computerizing accounting and payroll records really eliminates mistakes and helps with the calculations. Payroll tax miscalculations and late filings cause business owners tremendous headaches."
It’s no surprise her own headaches mostly pop up in April. "Getting everything done at deadline time is the biggest challenge. It would make more sense for everyone to file their tax returns on their birthdays. This would spread the filing times out through the entire year, and avoid the tremendous pressure of the April 15 deadline. Most accountants will agree the present system is a tremendous burden and pressure that’s driving a lot of people out of the profession. It’s really tough to survive the tax season on a personal and professional level," Kuppler said.
Because of the seasonal stresses, she heartily refutes the biggest misconception about tax attorneys—that their work is boring. "I would defy anyone to come to my office on April 1 and call my life boring." Life outside of work keeps her on her toes as well.
Kuppler and Tomi Backlund will co-chair the 2002 Susan G. Komen Peoria Race for the Cure, an event she’s been involved with for nearly 10 years. "I was active in the Junior League when the decision was made to create an independent affiliate of the National Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I started as the assistant treasurer and moved up to president of the local affiliate, served a term on the National Foundation Board in Dallas, and was a National Vice-Chairman," she explained.
She devotes precious spare time to the cause because of what the organization means for all women. "It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had because I believe we’re making a difference in peoples’ lives and health. Breast cancer is not in my family, thankfully, but I’ve had many friends who have gone through it and succumbed to it. The more the Foundation can do to raise awareness and be part of the cutting edge research to eradicate breast cancer, the better the chances are there will be a cure," Kuppler said.
Kuppler said she and Backlund, a good friend who chaired the event several years prior, hope to make the Race bigger and better next year. "With such a great tradition of wonderful volunteers from all over the community, our only goal is to build on the success and make the 2002 Race the best event we can. Some people think the Race can’t get any bigger, but there are thousands of men and women in central Illinois who can get involved. We’ve raised millions for research and education, but it will take millions more to get where we want to be—a cure."
In addition to her work with the Komen Foundation, Kuppler will be treasurer of the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross, and serve on the ICC Foundation Board. "It promises to be a full and challenging year," she said. TPW
She grew up on a farm near Galesburg, where agriculture was a family tradition. Her grandfather, however, helped Kuppler see the possibilities outside of farm life. "He was a great man, instrumental in building two schools. He always wanted to be a lawyer, and he really encouraged me to pursue law school," she said.
Kuppler graduated with highest honors from Warren High School and then North Central College in Naperville.
At North Central she worked as an accountant while pursuing accounting and political science degrees, and discovered she enjoyed dealing with the business and tax topics.
Once she determined accounting would be her profession, she set her sights on working at Ernst & Young Chicago in the tax department, where employees had to have either a masters degree in taxation or a law degree.
To meet that requirement, Kuppler attended Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago Kent College of Law. "IIT is very well known for its engineering and architecture programs, which are some of the best in the country. Chicago Kent is an old law school, based in the Chicago Loop. We knew (my husband) Karl, who was two years ahead of me, was going to take a job with a law firm in Chicago, so I went to Kent," she said.
The couple made their way back to central Illinois when Kuppler was expecting their second daughter, and the hour-long commute into Chicago from the suburbs became too difficult. "Karl was contacted about a job with a law firm in Peoria. After a couple of trips to Peoria, we decided a move back downstate was right for us. I intended to stay home, have my baby, and spend some time with the girls before returning to the workforce. However, someone found out I had been at Ernst & Young, and before I knew it, I was doing tax returns."
Kuppler worked for an accounting firm and in the tax department of a local company before striking out on her own, a decision she hasn’t regretted for one instant.
She employs another CPA, and during tax season takes on at least five extra people to help with the work load. In addition to being her own boss, Kuppler said she enjoys her job for a number of reasons. "It’s gratifying when a new business starts up, survives, and then thrives. It’s exciting and fun to be part of it. If you can help business owners legally save taxes or not make mistakes that others have made, you feel like you’ve done a good job."
Her field’s constantly-changing nature also keeps her hooked. "There are always new twists and turns in the tax law. Anymore, there’s a new tax bill proposed on a yearly basis," Kuppler said.
But the most rewarding part of her job? "Successfully surviving an IRS audit," she reported.
Because she has worked with so many companies over the past two decades, she’s observed a lot of successful and not-so-successful business moves.
Kuppler’s best advice is to go high-tech. "Computerizing accounting and payroll records really eliminates mistakes and helps with the calculations. Payroll tax miscalculations and late filings cause business owners tremendous headaches."
It’s no surprise her own headaches mostly pop up in April. "Getting everything done at deadline time is the biggest challenge. It would make more sense for everyone to file their tax returns on their birthdays. This would spread the filing times out through the entire year, and avoid the tremendous pressure of the April 15 deadline. Most accountants will agree the present system is a tremendous burden and pressure that’s driving a lot of people out of the profession. It’s really tough to survive the tax season on a personal and professional level," Kuppler said.
Because of the seasonal stresses, she heartily refutes the biggest misconception about tax attorneys—that their work is boring. "I would defy anyone to come to my office on April 1 and call my life boring." Life outside of work keeps her on her toes as well.
Kuppler and Tomi Backlund will co-chair the 2002 Susan G. Komen Peoria Race for the Cure, an event she’s been involved with for nearly 10 years. "I was active in the Junior League when the decision was made to create an independent affiliate of the National Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I started as the assistant treasurer and moved up to president of the local affiliate, served a term on the National Foundation Board in Dallas, and was a National Vice-Chairman," she explained.
She devotes precious spare time to the cause because of what the organization means for all women. "It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had because I believe we’re making a difference in peoples’ lives and health. Breast cancer is not in my family, thankfully, but I’ve had many friends who have gone through it and succumbed to it. The more the Foundation can do to raise awareness and be part of the cutting edge research to eradicate breast cancer, the better the chances are there will be a cure," Kuppler said.
Kuppler said she and Backlund, a good friend who chaired the event several years prior, hope to make the Race bigger and better next year. "With such a great tradition of wonderful volunteers from all over the community, our only goal is to build on the success and make the 2002 Race the best event we can. Some people think the Race can’t get any bigger, but there are thousands of men and women in central Illinois who can get involved. We’ve raised millions for research and education, but it will take millions more to get where we want to be—a cure."
In addition to her work with the Komen Foundation, Kuppler will be treasurer of the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross, and serve on the ICC Foundation Board. "It promises to be a full and challenging year," she said. TPW